It’s so exciting to be on the cusp of a fresh new season, says FIONA CUMBERPATCH
Temptation is everywhere in March, but I know I need to be strong. Those beautiful pots of raspberry-rippled pelargoniums lined up in the supermarket seem to be beckoning me over. That colourful rainbow of seed packets are winking from my cupboard and whispering ‘sow me.’ I want to scoop them all up and get them straight into my garden, but I know that it’s too early as there will be more sharp frosts to come that would kill these tender plants and new seedlings before they’ve even started. Staying patient for a few more weeks will result in happy healthy plants and a flower-filled plot later on. And although I might not be able to plant any annuals yet, I can get everything ready for them.
Morning glory ‘Star of Yelta’ was one of my big success stories last year (£1.05/ 20 seeds, justseed.com), and I want to grow these purple velvety-petalled climbing plants again. I can start the seeds on my window ledge at the end of March, plant them out in May, and they will top 2m tall in one season! That does mean adding some support to stop the flop, but it’s so easy to make my own and, better still, it’s a job I can be doing right now.
To create a wigwam, I need 10 or 12 whippy twigs, gathered from the garden or on a country walk. I prefer their rustic look to plain garden bamboo canes. They need to be thick and sturdy enough to poke into a pot of compost without snapping, and they should measure about the same as the plant’s ultimate height. I fill a pot and sink the sticks in, pushing them well into the compost. The ends are gathered at the top, and tied firmly with garden twine. To make the structure stronger, it’s best to weave some string through the wigwam twigs, making a circle about halfway from the top, and securing the ends firmly. Then it’s all ready for planting in mid-May, with around eight seedlin
